JULY 2024

Dear friend,

As Houston Audubon undergoes a search for a new President & CEO, I am honored to serve as Interim and lead the organization through this transition. As a Houston Audubon member for almost 20 years and member of the Board of Directors, Houston Audubon has been an important part of my life. Since retirement in 2023, I’ve been able to get even more involved, currently serving as Board Chair Elect, Chair of the Bolivar Peninsula Nature Trail Project, and Co-Chair of the DEIB Committee. We have a dedicated group of people participating in our President & CEO Search Committee, and they are hard at work finding the right fit to lead our organization through execution of our 2024-2034 strategic plan. We greatly appreciate the support of our staff, members, and volunteers through this transition. In the meantime, we invite you to get involved in all of our birdy activities this summer! Read on to find out what’s happening at Houston Audubon this month.

- Pam Smolen, Interim President & CEO

THE WARBLER SPRING NEWSLETTER

Our spring newsletter, The Warbler, is now online! Read about all of our spring activities through the lens of our members, volunteers, staff, and friends of Houston Audubon!

HISTORY PROJECT

We're incredibly grateful to Jim Winn and Julie Gold for their dedication to telling the inspiring story of Houston Audubon's history! Their tireless efforts went above and beyond – from in-depth research and article compilation to collecting photos and conducting interviews with key figures. They've brought the past to life, highlighting the remarkable people who shaped Houston Audubon's journey. Head to our website to delve into this fascinating history!

FEATURED EVENTS

SANCTUARY SNAPSHOT

Houston Audubon owns and manages 17 bird sanctuaries totaling over 4,100 acres, many of which are open to the public! Our most frequented sanctuaries include the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in west Houston and our High Island and Bolivar Flats sanctuaries on the coast. 

Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary

With the passing of the solstice, summer has officially arrived. High temperatures mean thirsty birds, many who are rearing young in our lush canopy. Visitors often ask us about songbirds in the sanctuary with their mouths open – this is simply a way for the songbirds to cool off in the heat of the day. Similarly, some water birds like Egrets and Cormorants can be seen in Rummel Creek doing gular fluttering. This is a response to high heat that is essentially a bird’s way of panting to stay cool! Many Cicadas hiding in the trees sound off like maracas in a band. Fledgling young follow their parents, begging for a tasty grub.

Despite the high heat, we encourage everyone to come visit Edith L. Moore and visit early in the morning as the sun lights up the trees in its golden hues. As always, remember to drink lots of water in the sanctuary and use mosquito spray or wear long sleeves and pants. Know your limits, and avoid overheating.

Our new boardwalk is nearing completion, and should the weather cooperate, will be done in a couple of weeks. Both bird drips are operational again! Recent notable sightings include large Garden Spiders, Great Crested Flycatchers, and Yellow-billed Cuckoos! Come out and say hello.

On the Coast

The passage of Tropical Storm Alberto led to elevated tides that inundated all of the marsh habitat in the sanctuaries on the peninsula. Fortunately, there were no active Wilson’s Plover nests to be washed out. The Least Terns that had lost nests to the storm wasted no time renesting, with some observed incubating eggs within 48 hours of the surge subsiding. As destructive as these storms can be, they are an important facet of the ecology of the shoreline, and birds are well equipped to deal with these periodic disturbances to the habitat. In fact, many species of plants and animals on our coastlines depend on disturbance from fire and floods to create the mosaic of open sand, shrubby or grassy marsh, and higher (drier) prairie habitat in which they need to complete their annual cycles.

Most of our nests in the Smith Oaks rookery have growing chicks. The Great Egrets and Neotropic Cormorants have mostly fledged, and most of the Roseate Spoonbill chicks are nearly fledged (though a few late nests will still have chicks for the next few weeks). Cattle Egrets and Tricolored Heron chicks have all just started hatching and will be in the nest for several weeks to come.

Keeping with the trend from late May, June saw several notable species found in the coastal sanctuaries for those willing to brave the mosquitos and biting flies. A singing Yellow-green Vireo at Smith Oaks was heard (but seldom seen) by many birders over the course of its week-long stay. A Black-whiskered Vireo was found singing at the Morse Field Station the same day as the discovery of the Yellow-green Vireo (also by HA staff), but was not seen since. A Broad-winged Hawk lingered at Boy Scout Woods into early June and multiple Great Crested Flycatchers and White-eyed Vireos were seen at the various High Island sanctuaries. These discoveries are a good reminder that even summer birding can be fruitful on the Texas Coast.

Sanctuary Spotlight: Carolyn Raizes Davis Bird Sanctuary

Houston Audubon owns and manages over 4,100 acres of land for wildlife conservation. Some of the properties we work on are public while others are for wildlife only – and they span as far north as the Piney Woods, all the way south to our Coastal wetland and beach sanctuaries. One smaller sanctuary that is open to the public is Carolyn Raizes Davis. This is a 63-acre bottomland forest situated on directly on the Chocolate Bayou in Liverpool, just south of Alvin. The work that staff and volunteers do here includes invasive species management, bird banding, and seed collection for our Natives Nursery. While there are no official trails, there are two pipeline easements that split the bottomland forest, providing a wildflower haven for birds, deer, coyotes, butterflies, and much more. If you are able to hike in towards the bayou, look carefully for Egrets, alligators, and a variety of estuarine fish.

NEWS & BIRDING

Featured Beak: Black-necked Stilt

Birding on the Road

Bird-Friendly Beachgoing

Plastic Free Tips for a Plastic Free July

WAYS TO HELP

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